Very disappointing - to say the least!

Sail Date:
February 2011

Destination:
South America & Antarctica

Embarkation:
Buenos Aires

I feel compelled to write to express our extreme disappointment felt by my spouse and I with the lack of communication by the Ship's Captain and then later from Celebrity by the failure to discuss the fact that the Infinity Cruise which departed Buenos Aires on 13th February did not reach its destination - Antarctica.

While we are not doubting the decision which was made for safety reasons was no doubt correct (we hope)- it was more that the sadness and disappointment felt by the passengers was ignored as we never heard from the Captain again after he asked the cruise director to tell us the bad news. A very brief 2 paragraph letter was delivered to each room to say that he was not in control of Mother Nature. It was never mentioned again. Perhaps by not mentioning it again we may forget!

This cruise to Antarctic did not contain your usual cruise type passengers who go for the luxury and food. This was a group of 2000 people who had only one reason in being on the More
ship and that was to see Antarctic. Like us, most people had paid huge sums of money to travel from the other side of world to see such a special place. We weren't interested in Ushuaia or Port Madryn or Montevideo - only Antarctic.

We expected further explanation from the Captain when his duties permitted - perhaps a special gathering in the theatre where he could assure us that that all suitable alternatives had been considered. On the second last day there was a staff talent show at 10am and the theatre was absolutely packed and the Capt was to speak at the end. To our amazement the Captain merely said "I hope you had an enjoyable cruise" Not one mention of the fact that we did not get to Antarctic. He missed a perfect opportunity to address all the passengers and explain.

Was it ever considered that we could shelter for a day in Ushuaia then go back and then miss out on Port Madryn and Montevideo to make up the schedule? Nothing like this was mentioned but I know it was certainly wished for amongst the passengers. The ship actually stayed for 2 whole days in Ushuaia doing nothing. I actually saw people in tears over their disappointment.

Not only is the large cost of airfares from the other side of the world and the accommodation required either side of the cruise important, but the loss of vacation time and just the extreme effort in getting there and then to have our disappointment ignored. This has been heartbreaking to say the least.

There has been no offer of any type of explanation or perhaps a small offer of compensation.

Very poor customer relations I would think.

Everything else on the ship was very good eg. service and food but some of the talks were just a sales pitch.

I would not recommend Celebrity if you are after a particular destination - you may not get there. Less